What’s Going on in Egypt?

Tanks and protestors in the streets of Cairo yesterday.(Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images)

Reading my post on the events in Egypt late Friday afternoon, you may have perceived my deep ambivalence. On the one hand: Democracy for Egypt! On the other hand: What would democracy mean for Egypt? On the one hand: Down with Mubarak! On the other hand: Up with the Muslim Brotherhood?

Since then, things have only gotten more confusing. They also, as the reign of President Hosni Mubarak looks increasingly tenuous, have seemed only to gather import. Which is why I’m going to spend a good portion of The Scroll this week (especially today) trying to explain and figure out what is going on and how I, and maybe you, should feel about it. Among other things, I’m going to be interviewing a series of experts who are coming at this from various perspectives. There will be another interview later today; for now, go on and read what Judith Miller, who put in time as the New York Times Cairo bureau chief, has to say about Mubarak, Omar Suleiman, Mohammed ElBaradei, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

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I think the question we should now be asking is: the US has given billions of dollars of military and other aid directly to the Egyptian government each year, for decades now. In return, we did not demand any economic or democratic reform or even surcease of the rabid anti-Americanism and conspiracy mongering in the official press. What, then, were our goals for that aid and for Egypt generally? And are those goals being promoted or destroyed by the current protests?

I’m going to spend a good portion of The Scroll this week (especially today) trying to explain and figure out what is going on and how I, and maybe you, should feel about it.

Will you be explaining it before you figure out what is going on?

You’re going to be telling us how to feel about it?

How very enlightening. What an important service you provide.

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